Tag: update

A Quick Thought

Hello, it’s Me…

deborahanndykeman

Before the age of caller identification, (caller ID for those that are challenged by the longer use of term), my mother would greet me with those words when she called. I have a dear friend that always laughs when I call her and begin with the same. For us it brings to mind a certain song from a certain age, and the call begins with a chuckle.

It’s me, dear friends and readers. I feel as though I’m climbing from a very dark well, the sunshine casting brilliant rays sparkled with gold. It beckons me, encouraging me to climb higher, even though my feet keep slipping, and my hands find it difficult to secure a rock rather than crumbling dirt. The sunshine reminds me of the verse I think of each morning, Psalm 118:24. This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I haven’t written here on my site for a couple years now. With the unexpected passing of my father on June 8, 2024, and then a long year of house renovations and then listing my father’s house for sale, I’ve been missing in the writing world. Those two life changes were the big ones, intermingled with the daily and sometimes hourly challenges of being a mother to five grown children, that have a life of their own? (Yes, the question mark is there for a reason. A reason most mothers will understand.) I dearly love my five children, and nine grandchildren. I love that generally we are a close family. But as with anything that is of value, or you have invested time into, it’s exhausting every now and then. Challenges, trials, and crisis never seem to come at a convenient time. And rarely seem to give space and energy to each one. But arrive in a mass, giving you little time to breathe much less think. Thus, it’s been in my life the past few years.

After almost a year since we first began seeking a realtor to list my father’s house in Topeka, Kansas, we have relocated to Missouri. This was a move we thought about and prayed about for over fifteen years. Mostly me, thinking and praying. Researching the area, looking up houses, comparing prices. I never do anything without lots of research and price comparison. Much to my husband’s distress if out shopping with me. Kind of a pain to anyone shopping with me! We now have a work-in-progress, adorable house. Winter lake views we are pretty sure of, since we kind see bits of it right now with the oak trees competing for attention. We have a gorgeous stone fireplace that we were told shouldn’t be used by the chimney professional. But we have options for that. I do love old houses, but they come with their faults. The biggest plus to our new space is that it’s much smaller than my father’s house. The biggest negative to our new space is the same.

My plan is to write on here on a regular basis. Dabbling my feet in it, getting to know all of you once again. My goal is to begin another book. I was able to publish two more books during the last two years. But marketing them has not happened. I’m excited to reach the top of the well. To jump out, land on my own two feet, and run down that new road that’s just waiting for me to experience.

Photo by Laurel Segel on Pexels.com

I think there are great things ahead…and I would love for you to explore them with me! Until next time!

A Day to Remember, Home Projects

Let the Season Begin

deborahanndykeman

Christmas time has come once again. And like all older people, you know the ones…the ones I said I would never be like back when I was in my twenties and thirties…it arrives quicker each year! Now that’s a sentence for my editor to make a comment on! Thank you, Britta Ann for all your wise words on editing. I really do appreciate you!

I really dislike that each time I have posted this year…all three times I think it’s been…I apologize for not posting. Life has been a whirlwind, and I know all of your lives have been as well. I’ve been wanting to update you all, and the time has never been there. So, here’s a quick update. Maybe at some point, when the winter winds blow and I’m cold just sitting around, and all my books are finished, I will fill in all the little blanks.

In April this year, my husband and I went to Indiana for two weeks to help care for our newest grandson. I kind of had a bad feeling from the standpoint of caring for a six-month old. Doing that at 57 is far different than in your twenties! But we survived, and it was absolutely wonderful getting to know little Maverick, who is now an adorable 13-month-old. But for some reason, those two weeks started a tailspin of events that I’m still recovering from. The hardest part being just being gone from home a lot…which again, something I wouldn’t have found a problem back in my twenties and thirties!

June was a busy month. My sister, whom I hadn’t seen in many years, came for a visit, and we were able to meet her new husband. A great visit! So happy to have Evan as part of our family! My mother fell at the nursing home about that same time. Any of you that have worked in geriatrics know that is not a good thing! Yes, my mother broke her hip…and that’s even worse for someone in a care facility. (I say that after working in care facilities for many years. It just seems to go downhill after a broken hip. Nothing being said here about care facilities being bad!) The end of June held many visits to the hospital, where my mother did very well for about a week. It was wonderful to have that time with her and my father. The end of June brought a fantastic time for our family in Branson. I even went swimming, which I hadn’t done in so many years! It was once a thing I loved!

During our week in Branson, my mother took a turn for the worse. My husband and I headed straight to the care facility on our return, him leaving my suitcases at my parent’s home. My mother passed on July 2nd, and while very sad, I am happy for her, and where she is now. She was in so much pain that last week. My brother and his family were making plans to visit my mother but missed her by two weeks. It was still wonderful to have them visit for a couple days!

Here is a fill-in-the-blank-later moment. My husband and I are now living in my parent’s home…my father is here occasionally, but my husband and I are now caring for it. My father wants it to be our home, and I’ve explained that it will take a while. Some time will need to pass before I don’t look at each item that is here and remember that it was my mother’s. For now, that’s a good thing. So many of my mother’s monetary furnishings had to be sold to make room for our furnishings, but I’ve kept those special pictures, glassware, and furniture that I and my siblings remember from our childhood.

I’ve posted on how special my mother made the holidays. I look back now and wonder how she did it. Dozens of cookies, open house celebrations, decorations galore! We always had at least two Christmas trees, and some years five when we lived in the bigger houses. I fall way short of that, but I have my memories. Yesterday I finished decorating our new home. Simpler than what my mother once did, but homey for us.

Lots of traveling this past year, my mother’s death, and a move. But so much to be thankful for this Christmas season! I have found that in my own life, God seems to work that way. Many trials and testing, but so many other reasons to give thanks, and remember how gracious and merciful God is. I have reconnected with my sister, I have the opportunity to spend time with my father, I have been privileged to get to know my brother’s family a bit better. We’ve had visits with our children and our grandchildren that were wonderful! We have a beautiful home to live in, and my husband’s Parkinson’s is holding steady.

Thank you, God, for all of these! Have a wonderful Christmas season!